Packaging equipment for forming, filling, and sealing pouches is used in the production of a wide variety of products including foods products, beverages, health care products, and cleaning products, and such packaging equipment is known in the prior art.
The Bennett (U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,887), for example, discloses a form-fill-seal packaging machine in which a packaging material is sealed crosswise by bringing a pair of sealing jaws into contact with each other. The sealing jaws are caused to follow the packaging material along the packaging material transfer direction while they are kept in the same condition, to cause the sealing jaws to take contacting and following motions by means of a single drive source. The rotation of a motor is converted into a linear reciprocating motion along the transfer route of the packaging material through a cam mechanism comprised of a circular cam plate and an arm, and the converted reciprocating motion is transmitted to a block.
The industry, however, is always seeking improved pouching equipment that is more reliable, easier to maintain, and operates at higher speeds.